Shade roller



H. W. WATTS Jan. 9, 1934.

SHADE ROLLER Filed April 22, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l fiiek/Lfll VENTOR- W M 7m H. W. WATTS SHADE ROLLER Jan. 9, 1934.

Filed April 22, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 UL/UUULJUDUUULI INV NTOR I ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES Ltd-2,78?

PATENT @FFEQE SHADE ROLLER Application April 22, 1933. Serial No. 667,328

3 Claims.

This invention relates to spring shade rollers of the type in which the actuating spring is carried by a stationary spindle, between one end of which and the corresponding end of the shade- 5 supporting roller is provided a bearing.

An important object of this invention is to provide an improved bearing unit, for use in shade rollers of the character mentioned, which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture,

and adapted to promote smoothness in operation of the shade roller in its entirety.

Other objects and advantages or" the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a fragmental central, longitudinal, sectional view of a shade roller embodying the in vention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the spear of the assembly being shown in elevation and the actuating spring and shade-carrying roller being removed; Fig. 3 is an end view of the shade roller as it appears from the left in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line l4 of Fig. 1, with the actuating spring and its associated spindle removed; Fig. 5

is an exploded view, showing in perspective certain elements of the bearing unit, namely, the pawl-carrying cup, its associated bearing ring, and the bearing cup which is adapted to be connected to the spear and about which the bearing ring is adapted to rotate as the shade-carrying roller is actuated; Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 and showing a modified form of bearing cup; and Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken on line '7-7 of Fig. 6, the actuating spring and shade-carrying roller being removed and the spear of the assembly being shown in elevation.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the spring actuated shade roller embodying the present in- 40 vention is shown as including a shade-carrying roller 10, within the spring chamber 0 of which is disposed the usual actuating spring 11, one end, not shown, of which may be connected to a spring-carrying spindle 12, adapted to be held against rotation under operating conditions as is customary, and the other end of which is connected to the shade-carrying roller through the medium of my improved bearing unit in a manner to be hereinafter more particularly described.

The spindle 12 is provided at its spear-carrying-end with a cup-shaped ferrule 14, which serves to insure the spindle against splitting when the spear 15, hereinafter more particularly described, is forced into the usual spear-receiving passage 16 of the spindle where it is held against displacement by a suitable locking pin 1'7 in a customary manner. The spear 15 is provided at its outer or bracket-engaging end with a shoulder 20, adapted to receive thereagainst an annular spacer 21, which is forced onto the spear from the smaller end thereof with a drive-fit. This spacer is adapted to receive thereagainst a ratchet hub 22, which is forced, with a drive-fit, onto the spear from the smaller end thereof, the ratchet hub being provided with diametrically opposed notches 24, adapted to receive the usual restraining pawls 25, which are pivotally connected to the outer face of a pawl-carrying cup 26.

The bottom of the pawl-carrying cup 26 is provided centrally with a circular opening 2'7, off center with respect to which is formed a pair of diametrically opposed openings 23. Associated with the pawl-carrying cup 26, is a bearing ring 30, the cylindrical wall 31 of which terminates in a skirt portion 32, thus affording an annular shoulder 34 which is adapted to receive the bottom wall portion of the pawl-carrying cup when the skirt of the bearing ring is introduced into the central opening 27 of such cup at the time the unit is being assembled. As shown in Fig. 1, the lower end of the skirt portion 32 is upset so as to provide a flange 35, between which and the shoulder 34 the marginal portion of the bottom of the pawl-carrying cup adjacent the central opening 2'7 thereof is clamped.

The wall 31 of the bearing ring is provided with a pair of wing sections which are turned back in a parallel relation to the wall of the ring, thus providing a pair of yokes 36, the ends of which are confined within the oppositely disposed openings 28 ofthe pawl-carrying cup, whereby the bearing ring is insured against rotation with respect to the pawl-carrying cup under the influence of the actuating spring 11, the outer end of which is threaded through the yolzes 36 and securely attached to the same. In order to insure the pawl-carrying cup against rotation with respect to the shade-carrying roller 10, the yokes 36 are provided with outwardly projecting anchor. fins 3*? which are adapted to penetrate the end of th shade-carrying roller and thereby establish a permanent interlocking connection with the same.

The pawl-carrying cup 26 and its associated bearing ring 30 are held in an assembled relation to the spear 15 by a bearing cup 38, which is forced onto the spear with a drive-iit after the shank of such spear has been inserted through the bearing ring in assembling the unit. This 7 bearing ring may be securely locked on the spear with its bottom wall in intimate contact with the adjacent face of the ratchet hub 22 by inserting a suitable tool, not shown, into the bearing cup from the open end thereof and then importing a mtal-upsetting blow to the spear at the points where its opposite edges are shouldered, as shown at 40. The bearing cup 38, when per manently attached to the spear 15, serves as an effective bearing, about which the bearing ring can easily rotate, it being noted that the space afiorded between the ratchet hub 22 and the outwardly projecting flange 41 of the bearing cup is sufficiently wide to accommodate that portion of the bearing ring which is disposed intermediate such ratchet hub and such flange without interferin with the free and easy rotation of the bearing ring about the stationary bearing cup.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the bearing unit, including the spear 15, spacer 2i, ratchet hub 22, pawl-carrying cup 26, bearing ring 39 and bearing cup 38 is assembled in its entirely before the shank portion of the spear is driven into thespindle 12 where it is locked in against withdrawal by the pin 17. It will also be understood that after the spear has been locked in the spindle, the ferrule 14 will intimately engage the flange 41 of the bearing cup 38, the overall or outside dimension of the ferrule being such as to afford a substantial clearance between itself and the surrounding wall 31 of the bearing ring. After attaching the bearing unit to the spindle 12, the actuating spring 11 may be secured at one end, not shown, to the spindle 12 in a suitable manner and interlocked at its other end with the yokes 36. The assembly, thus completed, may be permanently incorporated in the structure, as shown in Fig. 1, by introducing the spindle and its associated spring into the spring chamber C, thereby permitting the bearing unit to be attached to the end of the shade-carrying roller with the anchoring fins 37 of the yokes 36 embedded in the end of the roller and with the yokes frictionally engaging the wall of the spring chamber.

Referring to the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 and 7,-wherein primed reference characters corresponding to the unprimed reference characters employed in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, are used to designate such elements of the modified form of the invention as have previously been described, it will be noted that the bearing cup 38' is positioned on the spear 15' with its open end engaging the ratchet hub 22 and that such bearing cup is devoid of a peripheral flange, such as the flange 41 hereinbefore described. Although the bearing cup 38' is forced onto the spear 15 with a drive-fit, it is not deemed necessary to upset the metal of the spear adjacent the bottom wall of the hearing cup, as and for the purpose hereinbefore described. Because of the nature of the bearing cup 38', the ferrule 14 is adapted to cooperate, at its closed end, with the bearing ring 30 and function as a thrust element, between which and the ratchet hub 22' the pawl-carrying cup 26 and its associated bearing ring are confined in a position to rotate freely about the stationary bearing cup 38'.

It will be understood that, aside from the changes described above in connection with the structure of Figs. 6 and '7, other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A spring shade-roller bearing unit comprising a pawl-carrying member having an opening therein, a bearing ring provided with a skirt portion and having a shoulder portion and an outwardly upset flange between which and said shoulder the marginal portion of said pawlcarrying member adjacent the opening thereof is confined, a spear, and a bearing element carried by said spear and confined within said skirt portion and there serving as a bearing member} about which said bearing ring with its associated pawl-carrying member can rotate.

2. A spring shade-roller bearing unit comprising a pawl-carrying member having an opening therein, a bearing ring provided with a skirt por- 1 tion and having a shoulder portion and an outwardly upset flange between which and said shoulder the marginal portionof said pawl-carrying member adjacent the opening thereof is confined, a spear, a bearing element carried by said spear and confined within said skirt portion and there serving as a bearing member about which said bearing ring with its associated pawl-carrying member can rotate, said bearing element being provided with an outwardly projecting flange, 7

and a ratchet hub carried by said spear between which and the latter-named flange said skirt portion of said bearing ring is confined for rotation about said bearing element.

3. A spring shade-roller bearing unit comprising a pawl-carrying member having an opening therein, a bearing ring provided with a skirt portion and'having a shoulder portion and an outwardly upset flange between which and said shoulder the marginal portion of said pawl-carrying member adjacent the opening thereof is confined, a spear, a bearing element carried by said spear and confined within said skirt portion and there serving as a bearing member about which said bearing ring with its associatedpawl-carrying member can rotate, a spindlereceiving ferrule, and a ratchet hub carried by said spear, between which ratchet hub and said ferrule said skirt portion of said bearing ring is confined for rotation about said bearing element.

HARRY W. WATTS. 

